Rosie goes rustic and robust with ‘a proper sammidge’
credit: Archant
Ingredients:
Four pigeon breasts, thinly sliced
One large artisan loaf
One red onion
Four rashers of streaky bacon
credit: Archant
One squashed garlic clove
A sage leaf, finely shopped
Courgettes, thinly sliced and seared
Peppers – one green, red and orange, charred
credit: Archant
Sun-dried tomatoes, left whole
Feta cheese – or you can use grated cheddar
Method:
1) Fry the pigeon, red onion, bacon, garlic and sage for a few minutes, until the bacon starts to take on colour. Set aside.
2) Sear the courgettes strips – using a potato peeler - in the same pan.
credit: Archant
3) Grill the peppers, skin side up, to intensify the flavour. When cool, remove the skins.
4) Layer your ingredients: meat mixture, peppers, courgette, sun-dried tomatoes, crumbled feta cheese, meat mixture, peppers – but you can do it in any order.
5) Replace the lid on the loaf. Wrap in foil or clingfilm and weigh it down. Refrigerate for a few hours, or preferably overnight.
6) Slice and serve – kids will love it!
credit: Archant
Rosie says:
‘Now, that’s a PROPERRR sammidge’, my West Country grandfather used to say when he presented me with a doorstep slice of crusty bread, a one-inch filling of cheese, ham, tomatoes and onions, and another doorstep on top. ‘Get that down you, my girl’. I was only a child, but I ate every crumb.
It’s strange how memories come flooding back as you get older, and that’s the one that popped into my brain as I sat watching a cheffy programme on TV, so I’ve combined the two ideas to make a super-sandwich fit for everyone, from an elderly gentleman and a small girl.
I bought an artisan loaf – although why they call it that these days, I have no idea. It’s just a decent loaf of bread. I hollowed it out. The breadcrumbs don’t go to waste as you can blitz and refrigerate them to make fishcakes, scotch eggs, or Essex-fried rabbit.
There is little cooking involved apart from the meat mixture, which can be cooked ahead of time.
It’s not a bad idea to make this colourful and tasty treat the day before you want to eat it. It’s just an assembly job really. Pop a weight on the top – I’ve used my grandmother’s old flat iron, but a couple of baked bean tins on a plate will serve just as well – and after 24 hours in the fridge all the flavours will have infused.
It’s fab, trust me!